Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners. -- Edward Abbey

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Sunday, March 23, 2008

In a 2 1/2 hour teleconference today, the executive committee of the Missouri Libertarian Party voted to revolt against the explicit instructions of the party's state committee -- on behalf of which it acts and to which it is accountable -- to usurp authority which the party's bylaws expressly deny it; to declare itself an election law enforcement agency of the state of Missouri; and to use that self-arrogated authority to make convictions for victimless crimes a disqualification for seeking public office as a Libertarian.

The purpose of all of this? To keep someone off the ballot whom the state would have thrown off anyway upon any individual's request for an investigation of the matter (and at least one of the measure's supporters has previously made such requests regarding others, namely me, albeit on the basis of incorrect information).

We (I have to include myself -- although I abstained on the basis that the entire affair was out of order from the start, I'm not giving up my seat on the executive committee as there may be more such battles to fight) gave the Libertarian Party a black eye today.

In a 2 1/2 hour teleconference today, the executive committee of the Missouri Libertarian Party voted to revolt against the explicit instructions of the party's state committee -- on behalf of which it acts and to which it is accountable -- to usurp authority which the party's bylaws expressly deny it; to declare itself an election law enforcement agency of the state of Missouri; and to use that self-arrogated authority to make convictions for victimless crimes a disqualification for seeking public office as a Libertarian.

The purpose of all of this? To keep someone off the ballot whom the state would have thrown off anyway upon any individual's request for an investigation of the matter (and at least one of the measure's supporters has previously made such requests regarding others, namely me, albeit on the basis of incorrect information).

We (I have to include myself -- although I abstained on the basis that the entire affair was out of order from the start, I'm not giving up my seat on the executive committee as there may be more such battles to fight) gave the Libertarian Party a black eye today.